Sophie's Job
by NashNurse
Summary: A young girl inadvertantly aquires the help of the Leverage team against a powerful CEO from London. But there seems to be a powerful politician acting behind the scenes and Sophie will have to confront her past in order to finish the job and save an old friend.
1. Chapter 1

Abigail Delaney ran as fast and as hard she could down the deserted country road. Her lungs burned and as her legs grew weaker she began to stumble on the dirt road. The August sun beat down mercilessly on the young woman as she ran for the tree line which was almost a mile ahead. She stumbled over nothing in particular and fell to the ground which tore deep gashes in both her hands and knees. She sat in the dirt a moment, trying to catch her breath ad rid her mouth of the increasing metallic taste when she heard the faint sound of gunfire coming from the lonely estate behind her. She scrambled to her feet and began running again, pushing her terrified thoughts from her mind as she focused on reaching the cover of the thick woods. She dashed into the trees, letting the dense brush envelop her. She sunk down onto the cool earth and just before her eyes closed she saw black flames licking the sky where her home had once stood.

It was raining again. The gloomy weather matched everyone's mood as the Leverage team moped around the new restaurant/headquarters. Hardison was trying to research potential clients but Eliot kept confiscating the computer to make changes to the brewery's appetizer menu. Sophie had tried to give herself a manicure but Nate quickly put an end to that, claiming the smell was giving him a migraine. Parker was sitting in the corner glaring at everyone because they had all forgotten that today was the day she was going to teach them how to pick a door lock in under 30 seconds.

"Stop it!" Hardison barked at the hitter, protectively reaching out to retrieve his wireless keyboard that Eliot was angrily tapping. "Respect the equipment, man! Not cool."

Eliot growled and crossed his arms. "Piece of junk."

"Hey, hey, hey." The hacker protested. "Do I trash your weapons when they don't work right? I don't think so!"

"They always work right. It's you that doesn't work right."

"Will the two of you please take it down a notch?" Sophie pleaded, her hands conspicuously laying in her lap as she tried to covertly finish painting her fingernails.

"Sure," Eliot turned his wrath on her. "When you stop poisoning us with noxious fumes."

Sophie's mouth dropped open to form a small "o." "Oh please," she whined. "As if the smell of a little acetone could possibly penetrate the smell coming from you! When was the last time you showered?"

"I haven't had a chance after taking down the group of eleven men who had you cornered this morning! Remember that, Sophie?"

"I had it under control."

"Oh really?" Hardison piped in. "Then how did you get that nasty bruise on your arm?"

"Shut up, Hardison!" they both said in unison.

"Oh knock it off, all of you!" Nate strode back into the room, massaging the bridge of his nose. "Eliot, go back to the kitchen, write down the changes on the menu and Hardison will change it later. Hardison, stop petting the damn keyboard! If he broke it go get one of the dozen others lying around the building. Parker, for God's sake get off of the window sill! We aren't going to stand out in the pouring rain and try and break into our own building! Sophie, please, for the love of God, put the cap back on the nail polish and…" he took a breath as Hardison went back to the computer and Eliot and Parker walked into the adjacent restaurant. "What bruise, Sophie?"

Sophie sighed and rolled her eyes as she looked up at him. "It was nothing." She replied as she calmly finished paining her left hand before screwing the bottle cap back on. "It was just a little misunderstanding over some emeralds." She blew on the crimson polish and flicked her eyes up to meet his.

"I don't like you doing outside jobs, Soph." he said seriously.

"Well maybe if it there was something more entertaining to do around here…" she trailed off suggestively and flashed him a smile.

Suddenly there was the sound of shattering glass from the restaurant and shrieks from the crowd of diners.

Nate and Sophie both ran into the next building to find Eliot on the ground with three other men just outside of the newly shattered store front window. A young, twenty-something woman stood against the wall looking frightened and ill. The rest of the restaurant patrons clustered in the far end of the room some looking bewildered and others curious. The three men—all in business suits but suspiciously well-built and wielding both knives and guns—fled the scene looking battered and exhausted.

Eliot pulled his hair back from his sweaty face, his right eye swelling and blood trickling from lower lip. "Are you alright, honey?" he asked the girl softly, touching her arm softly.

She looked like she was about to start crying as she shakily pulled her auburn hair out of her face. "I'll be fine." She replied with a light British accent as she gave him a tentative smile and he released her arm. "Thank you for helping me." She bent down to pick her purse up off the floor and almost fell to the ground.

"Easy there, sweetheart." Eliot pulled her upright again and supported her as they walked to the bar.

"I'm sorry for the interruption, ladies and gentlemen." Hardison announced. "Come back this weekend and dinner is on the house!"

Eliot scowled as he guided the girl onto a barstool and the crowd filtered out. "Damn it, Hardison. You can't give away free food."

"Haha!" Parker bounded back into the building. No one had even noticed she had left. "Look what I've got!" she tossed three wallets, a knife, and two guns onto the bar.

"Very good, Parker." Nate voiced his approval and opened the wallets one by one. They each had a prepaid phone card and two hundred dollars cash. No credit cards. No identification.

"Can I get you something to drink, ma'm?" Eliot was still looking at her with concern. "Wine? Maybe something a little stronger?"

She gave a nervous laugh. "Something a lot stronger."

"Why don't you tell us what those men wanted with you?" Nate suggested bluntly.

"No." she shook her head as Eliot offered her a shot a whiskey. "Thank you all for helping me but there's nothing more you can do."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that." Sophie warned, placing a hand on the girl's back.

She twisted around in her seat to study the latest addition to this strange party. "Charlotte?"

Sophie looked startled and the rest of the team grew quiet.

A smile broke through on the young girl's face. "Charlotte!" her voice was joyful and she jumped up from her perch, grabbing Sophie's arms excitedly. "I can't believe it! I never thought I'd see you again."

"I'm sorry…" Sophie stammered. "I don't…"

"Abigail! Abigail Delaney!" She waited for the name to strike some memory in Sophie's mind but all she received was a blank stare. "The London troupe?" the girl was looking despondent again. "My father? William Delaney?"

The team could see a sudden recognition fill Sophie's face. "Will?" she asked incredulously, not believing what her eyes and ears were telling her.

The girl nodded and Sophie enveloped her in a hug. "Oh my dear girl."

The team stood on awkwardly as Sophie refused to let go. "What have you gotten yourself into?"

"Come on." Nate touched Sophie's shoulder and she released her embrace. "Both of you." The two women followed Nate into the headquarters and the rest of the team followed, Eliot grabbing the bottle of whiskey on his way.


	2. Chapter 2

"They were here to kill me." Abigail stated seriously. The group had settled into the back rooms of the brewery as they listening to the troubled young woman's story.

"Why?" Nate asked.

"I don't know." She sounded miserable. Sophie squeezed the girl's hand and Eliot stepped closer unconsciously. "It has to do with my father. He was involved in politics for years, always protesting something…nothing illegal, of course!" she seemed worried that Nate might misinterpret her father. "He was always very careful to do everything calmly and rationally. He believed we could exact change in our country through reason, through educating people about what is really going on."

Sophie nodded her head slowly—remembering—then she suddenly looked very upset. "Believed?" she questioned fearfully.

Abigail looked to the floor and nodded. "He died two years ago."

Sophie looked ill.

"They said it was suicide."

"What do you think?" Eliot asked gruffly.

"My father would never leave me." She insisted. "He wasn't depressed! He..he…was so…"

"Joyful." Sophie interjected sadly. "For all of his passion and devotion to lost causes he still had a love of life—for making others happy."

Abigail smiled sadly at the other woman and nodded. "Exactly."

"And now you believe they're after you?" Nate asked, getting back on track.

The girl sighed deeply. "Six months after my father died I was in the barn with the horses and I heard a crash from the house. I started walking towards the house when I heard gunfire. I'd seen some men tailing me for a couple of weeks and so I heard the guns and saw that SUV I just started running for the woods as fast as I could. The house exploded. The fire department said it was a gas leak and the investigator said I must have imagined the gunfire."

Eliot snorted and Hardison rolled his eyes.

"Where did you go?" Parked piped in.

"New York, then Los Angeles, and now Portland. I don't know where else to go."

"Well you certainly can't go back to your hotel." Sophie exclaimed. ""You'll stay with me."

"Uh, Soph—" Nate started.

"Not a chance." Eliot insisted. "No offense, Sophie honey, but if you can't talk or flirt your way out of trouble you're doomed. The two of you would be sitting ducks."

Sophie looked offended and Abigail looked worried. "Do you think I should go to the police?"

"The police?" Parker laughed. "Oh that's adorable."

"What she means is..." Hardison quickly interjected. "I don't think there's much for them to go on. This seems to be a little more in our area of expertise."

"Your area?" she seemed confused. "Actors?"

Sophie chuckled and shook her head. "No, Abi. Thieves."

* * *

The team gathered around Hardison's projection once Abi had fallen asleep on one of the couches upstairs.

"How do you know this kid exactly, Sophie?" Nate asked abruptly just as Hardison was about to begin.

"She's not a kid." Eliot defended. "She's twenty eight years old, man."

"Hey I didn't mean anything by it; I was just asking.."

"Yeah, Nate." Parker was pouting. "Twenty eight isn't a kid."

"Oh for Christ's sake it was an expression! All I wanted to know is…"

"Hello! People! Can someone please take a moment to recognize that I have researched William Delaney's last twenty years and condensed it into a five minute presentation highlighting only the information pertinent to this case? I'd like to see any one of y'all try to do the same thing in a half hour!" The group had settled back down "Have a little respect." He muttered under his breath.

"Just start the damn thing." Eliot grumbled.

"William Delaney: actor turned political activist." Hardison pulled up a picture of the man and Nate frowned at Sophie's instant smile.

"Well he aged well." She murmured.

Hardison glared at the interruption before continuing. "Now about twenty years ago he started an acting troupe that played in several nondescript spots across London and occasionally in other major cities throughout Western Europe. He never made in money off the venture but post people figured he liked to travel and like to piss off his old man even more who was a member of parliament and had wanted Willy here to go to law school. Well eventually the old man dies and William inherits everything and he moves back to his father's estate in the country and begins taking more respected acting jobs. He gained some recognition for his acting but mostly for his passion over exposing the corruption in the political scene. He got in some hot water with the government a time or two but always ended up with only a few small fines. Well about three years ago—now this is what Abi told you right, Sophie? He comes home excited over some proof he had that a company which deals mostly with iron production had been dealing with several members of parliament on the side to gain military contracts."

Sophie nodded her consent and Hardison pulled up a picture of the CEO. "Walter Vanderburg, owner and founder of Vanderburg Iron Works Co."

"So…" Nate stood up and stared thoughtfully at the screen. "We need to figure out what kind of deals are going on and how Delaney found proof."

"And why they're trying to kill Abi." Sophie reminded.

"Hmm, yeah." Nate crossed his arms and tilted his head to one side. "Well, let's go steal some government contracts."

"We're going to London?" Sophie asked warily.

Nate gave an odd smile, the sort of smile he only gave when he was planning something he knew the rest of the team wouldn't like. "We're going to London."


	3. Chapter 3

Sophie gathered up her purse and umbrella and tied the belt of her trench coat around her trim waist. She headed for the front door of the brewery but Nate's voice halted her.

"Sneaking out, Sophie?" She sighed wearily as she turned to face him. Only the security lights were left on inside the restaurant and the soft amber glow illuminated her face just enough for Nate to see the apprehension in her eyes.

"We have an early flight, Nate. I need sleep."

He nodded and grabbed his jacket off of the coat rack by the door. "I'll drive you home."

As the two exited the building Sophie started when she felt Nate's arm wrap around her waist as he guided her to his car. "You could sit this one out you know." He murmured.

"She's my friend, Nate." She snapped back a bit too harshly. "I'm not abandoning her just because I don't feel like flying to London!"

He nodded and opened the passenger car door without saying a word. He headed downtown without asking for directions, he knew she still hadn't bothered to look for an apartment; Sophie always did love staying in hotels.

"She was twelve years old when I last saw her." Sophie announced after fifteen minutes of silence. "They were moving to his father's estate and I…I…well I left the troupe." She sounded regretful but Nate didn't dare to ask why.

"I thought he closed the troupe before he moved?" he asked instead.

"He did." She answered defensively. She sighed in frustration and looked directly at Nate for the first time in twenty minutes. "He wanted to keep the troupe but he still wanted to move into the estate with Abi and I just couldn't…I wanted everything to stay the same. I was stupid."

"So you left in protest and he couldn't keep the troupe running without you." It was a statement, not a question; uttered quietly without any note of accusation in his tone

"Well I was his female lead in all of the plays. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to break in a new lead actress?"

Nate raised his eyebrows at this piece of information and tried to keep from laughing. "The lead actress?"

She nodded, puzzled at why he needed clarification.

"Sophie," he wasn't quite sure how to phrase it. "I don't think that was why he ended that particular phase in his career."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Sophie was hurt by the implication that she wasn't an important part of the productions.

Nate knew he was skating on thin ice. "I meant that it was the loss of you—YOU, Sophie, not his lead actress , that motivated his decision."

Sophie's defenses immediately fell and she grew quite once more. "I was afraid of that." She whispered.

Nate remained silent, analyzing the situation as usual. They arrived in front of downtown Portland's finest hotel and Sophie stepped out of the car.

"Sophie?"

She paused on the damp sidewalk and bent down to see inside the car.

"We can stop in Paris on the way home." He promised hopefully, knowing that a trip to her favorite city might lighten her mood.

She gave him a defiant look and a raised eyebrow. "Was there any question that we wouldn't?"

They smiled at each other for a moment before Sophie straightened up and disappeared into the hotel.

Nate sighed deeply and leaned back into the seat, feeling a deep empathy for the man Sophie left behind years ago. "Poor bastard." He mumbled quietly before starting the car and driving back to his temporary home at the harbor.


	4. Chapter 4

It was a bleak, cold day in London in spite of the approaching spring. Sophie Devereaux straightened her suit jacket and tried to ignore the bickering that was transmitting in her earbud. They were about to arrange a contract with VIW—Vanderburg Iron Works— to build a purely fictional new line of cargo ships. Sophie tossed her hair back and let a confident, no-nonsense demeanor replace the face of apprehension that had been there only a moment before.

"Let's get this over with and get back home, hmm?" she interrupted the squabble. Sophie stepped off the busy London sidewalk and into the impressive building in front of her, making her way up to the eleventh floor. She didn't like this con; it was too close to home seeing her young friend suffer and the hands of heartless businessmen and career politicians.

"Madeline Dresnick." She introduced herself at the front desk with a well cultured British accent and ever so faint smile. "I'm here representing AGB Shipping."

"Yes," the secretary nodded curtly as she picked up the phone to announce Sophie's presence. "Go through those doors on your left. The conference room is the last door on the right."

"Good, Sophie." Nate coached from a coffee bar in the lobby. "Just get that thumb drive connected to a computer and we'll be in."

"I know, I know." She hissed as she walked past the receptionist. "You can stop telling me."

"Why is she so uptight?" Eliot grumbled through the com. "She's not the one in the back alley checking for goons."

"No." she spat back. "I'm the one walking into a room full of politicians and CEOs trying to swindle them out of 20 million dollars. Your job is a cake walk."

"A cake walk?!

"Will you two put a cork in it?" Hardison demanded. "I can't hear a damn thing from the bugs we've set up in the office. Not a damn thing. I know it doesn't mean much to you but it's actually pretty important that I have the necessary information to set up an adequate infrastructure for…"

"Oh shut up, Hardison!" Sophie and Eliot cried in unison.

"Shut up?" he was indignant. "Shut up? SHUT UP? Oh really? That's just…fantastic… Y'all just don't appreciate me, not one bit. Nobody cares how much work I put into..."

"Alright, that's enough." Nate ordered harshly. "Now I know you're all tired, it was a long flight in, but we have got to keep our heads clear. Now we know that while Vanderburg will consider the board members' decisions the choice is ultimately his. Cater to him, Sophie—but be subtle!"

Sophie entered the still empty conference room and quickly crossed to the computer set up in the corner. She had almost connected Hardison's drive to the computer when someone placed a heavy hand on her shoulder.

"What are you doing?"

Sophie spun around and locked eyes with Walter Vanderburg, the CEO himself. She faltered for only a split second and then calmly turned back to the computer and inserted the thumb drive.

"Madeline Dresnick." She extended her hand boldly. "I'm representing AGB Shipping. I was just about to set up my presentation."

Vanderburg looked leery. "Yes, of course. Go right ahead, Miss Dresnick."

"I must say," Sophie began to pull up her presentation and turn on the necessary equipment. "I am very impressed with you."

His cautious attitude faded considerably. "My company you mean?" He sat down near the head of the long conference table to watch her.

Sophie laughed. "No, Mr. Vanderburg. I'm well aware of how this company got to be where it is today and I will admit freely that I am impressed with your—how shall I say it?—resourcefulness." She gave him an approving smile and he almost grinned himself.

"Well you certainly can't advance a company without knowing how to steer past a few roadblocks." He reminded Sophie of a cat proudly displaying a dead mouse in its mouth.

Hardison gave a small cheer of success. "I'm in! I now have full access to all server files."

Nate smiled approvingly. "Alright Sophie, sell him one hell of a contract."

XXXXXXXX

The lights glittered, glasses clinked, and footsteps echoed throughout the busy restaurant in the heart of London. Abi stared gratefully at the man across the table. "Thank you for bringing me here, Eliot." She said genuinely. "I would have died if I had to spend another night hidden away."

Eliot nodded and shrugged. "There's really no point in hiding as long as I'm with you." He meant it as a very direct statement but Abi returned the comment with another sweet smile and Eliot began to stutter. "Look, Abigail, I don't want you to think that I'm able to—that I—"

Abi laughed merrily and shook her head. "Oh Eliot, you're always so serious." She considered the man in front of her for a moment and then grew somber. "But you have reason to be, don't you? Everyone has left quite a lot on your shoulders."

Eliot stared down at the table for a moment before directly meeting her gaze. "I take it upon myself." He stated firmly.

"Good!" Abi smiled softly. "I can't stand a martyr." A teasing sparkle shone in her eyes. "How do you like my choice of restaurant?"

Eliot shrugged again. "A little overdone."

She nodded and Eliot wasn't sure if she was agreeing with him or just acknowledging his statement. "I used to come here with my father when I was a girl. With Charlotte—er, Sophie too. Ironically we stopped coming once we could actually afford to eat here."

Eliot leaned back in his chair and decided to stop trying to find anymore meat amongst the bed of lettuce on his plate. "What was she like back then?"

"Your Sophie?" Abi copied Eliot's nonchalant shrug and then laughed. "She hasn't really changed much. Less frightened maybe."

"Frightened of what?"

Abigail sighed and thought deeply for a moment. "I was young when she left London but I've actually thought about here a good deal over the years. I think she was afraid of losing herself."

"A little ironic for an actress." Eliot observed.

"Even more ironic for a grifter." Abi looked at Eliot's half eaten salad and smiled. "Why don't you choose the restaurant for the second course?"


End file.
